webnovelfull Chapter 229 Shadows in History
Chapter 229 Shadows in History
Chapter 229 Shadows in History
Anne grew up in the library.
While he may not be considered a genius, he is at least well-read.
But after traveling for a while, Anne realized how ignorant she had been.
The world is so vast that Annie felt she could never grasp all the knowledge in the world, even if she read books her whole life.
At every library she visited, Anne always managed to find books she hadn't read before.
Even in a period of history that Anne was familiar with, there are often accounts that are completely contrary to that history.
This left Anne feeling confused, wondering what the truth was and whether history truly existed.
Annie found it strange that the more she learned, the less she felt she had mastered.
Despite this, Anne still diligently spent her days in the library.
Anne also wanted to play. If Lola were with her, she would want to take her sister around town all day.
Of course, when girls go shopping, they definitely need to get rid of Seth, who's in the way.
With Lola's protection, Anne was confident that she would not be in any danger.
If a "gentleman" knew that the seemingly short Laura actually possessed extremely powerful energy, his face would surely display an extremely strange expression.
Just thinking about Seth's reaction made Anne proud of Lola.
However, Anne will not tell anyone about Lola's abilities.
Only a fool would go around bragging about how powerful he is.
True strength lies in humility and composure, just like Aaron.
Moreover, once others know how powerful Lola is, some will definitely see her as a threat.
This is dangerous for Lola. Anne has already hurt her sister once, and she can't afford to make the same mistake twice.
I wonder if Laura is alright?
Since Lola wasn't in the city, Anne wasn't very interested in shopping either.
The cardinalization ceremony is still a month away.
Therefore, Annie could only find some books to read, which was one way to pass the time.
But Anne had another purpose: to use this time to collect as much information as possible in order to spark her inspiration and write a paper.
time.
What Annie lacks most right now is time.
After the investiture ceremony, Anne will return to the Heraldry Academy, where she should be graduating soon. Joseph will then recommend her to go to the capital to serve as a Heraldry Attendant in the Royal Heraldry Academy.
Time was running out, but she had to make the most of it to develop the skills necessary for the position and to acquire a resume that wouldn't be criticized.
A high-quality paper was a strategy Joseph devised for Anne.
Therefore, Anne had to study diligently.
She was just a woman, but she vowed to prove that her abilities were absolutely no less than those of any man!
She wanted to make all those who looked down on her bow their heads deeply in her presence!
But finding a good research direction isn't that simple.
She had been away from the Emblem Academy for several months, but had not gained anything yet.
However, recently, Annie felt that she might have had a tiny bit of inspiration.
As is widely known, the dividing line between the early human period and the period of faith was the destruction of the eternal kingdom.
The Kingdom of Giants and the Principality of the Holy Envoy, separated by the Kolich Isthmus, govern the continent of Ancent.
The Eternal Kingdom is the second and only regime, after the Empire, to unify the entire continent of Ancent.
Despite numerous rebellions and the passage of many dynasties, the Justinian family always firmly held onto royal power.
It wasn't until Eugene Sinclair joined forces with Gregory Saint-Barentuchelli that this family, which had been powerful for a thousand years, was finally driven out of the center of power.
Eugene's Great Kingdom inherited the feudal system of the Eternal Kingdom and began to reward its meritorious officials.
However, the Principality of Saints introduced the diocese system, becoming a truly theocratic regime.
In the Principality of the Holy Envoy, there are no nobles or titles; all people are born equal, and only those who understand God's will can earn more respect.
Yet, in this very country, there exists a lord.
The Holy Envoy Principality also seemed to feel that this damaged its image, and changed the title of its lord to "Lord of the Holy City".
What's even more perplexing is that the Holy City Lord happened to be a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family.
This city is the famous Lieyang City.
Anne had always wondered why, among the countries that had abolished the feudal system, only Sun City was left standing.
And even now, the Justinian family seems to have a firm grip on the city.
With these questions in mind, Annie began researching information about Sun City.
The origin of it all can be traced back to the legendary Scarlet Prince, Ferdinand Justinian.
He was once considered the greatest navigator of all time.
It was not until recently, when Aaron's student, the navigator Henry Gijano Panza, discovered the New World, that his place in the history of navigation was shaken.
Ferdinand was the son of Leonard Justinian, the jealous king. Because of the power struggle, he was exiled to the remote city of Sunburst under the pretext of being granted a fief.
At that time, the Far East continent had not yet been discovered, and Lieyang City was once considered to be the end of the world.
Incidentally, at that time, the route from Sunfire City directly to the Sogo River had not yet been opened up, after all, the Crimson Prince himself was the one who opened up this route.
Leonard thought he would never see these kids, whom he both loved and hated, again, but less than five years later...
He knew he was wrong.
Prince Crimson, piloting the Blazing Golden Spear, led a fleet that would have shocked all the lords at the time, and marched directly to the royal city.
Ferdinand quickly won and successfully ascended the throne.
The city of Blazing Sun was also granted to the son of the Crimson Prince.
However, before this, this wild land had no connection whatsoever with the Justinian family.
Therefore, the history of the Justinian family's rule over Sun City began with the Scarlet Prince.
And here lies the second question that puzzled Anne.
After Ferdinand ascended the throne, this period was named the Scarlet Dynasty after his nickname.
However, the Crimson Dynasty lasted only twelve years, making it the shortest-lived dynasty in the Eternal Kingdom.
This is because, in the tenth year of Ferdinand’s reign, he set sail again and headed south.
As for his goal, it is said that he wanted to find Fallen Feather Island and then make contact with the Stone-skinned Parrot.
But he never came back.
Two years later, his brother James Justinian inherited the throne and began the next dynasty. Anne's confusion was that since the Crimson Prince had a son, why did he only inherit Sun City and not the entire continent of Ancent?
The history of James's ascension to the throne is only briefly mentioned in historical records.
Whether it was another bloody power grab was something Anne, thousands of years later, could never know.
However, if something really happened back then, it's impossible that there wouldn't be any record of it.
After all, there are far more shameful things recorded in history books than that.
But assuming a peaceful succession, why would the descendants of the Scarlet Prince be willing to live in a remote, tiny place?
According to the information Annie recently reviewed, since then, Lieyang City has not participated in any internal strife.
In other words, the city's heirs never felt resentful about their position.
This was unusual, Anne thought, there must be some reason for it.
A few days ago, Annie read that the Scarlet Prince's wife was also a naval navigator.
This was the first description Anne had ever seen of Ferdinand's wife, but it was just as brief.
What Annie couldn't understand was why, in historical records where even the name of the Scarlet Prince's wife frequently appeared, there were so few records about his wife.
She felt as if there was a shadow in the annals of history, obscuring many truths.
Therefore, these days, Anne has been coming to the library early every morning and carefully reading all the books that might contain this information.
However, they still did not achieve anything.
For scholars, the less they know about something, the more their thirst for knowledge is aroused.
The same goes for Anne.
Just thinking about how this problem is unsolvable makes her restless and unable to eat or sleep.
She also felt that once she solved these mysteries, she would be able to write a decent paper.
Therefore, Anne was determined to find out the truth.
However, even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.
The library no longer contains the knowledge Anne seeks; she must search for more information.
Anne closed the book and sighed deeply.
Then he got up and put the books back on the shelf.
She said to Seth, who had been following behind her, "Let's go, gentleman."
Seth looked surprised upon hearing this.
He looked out the window; the sky was still bright.
"So early today?"
"The knowledge I need is no longer available here."
Seth didn't ask any more questions, nodded slightly, and followed behind Annie.
As soon as they stepped out of the library, Anne turned to Seth and said:
"My lord, I wish to go to Lieyang City."
Seth frowned slightly: "My mentor Sanders instructed me to make sure you arrive in the holy city of Gregory before the ceremony begins."
Sun City is located at the southernmost tip of the Holy Envoy Duchy, and the investiture ceremony is scheduled to take place in just one month.
Anne turned around.
She knew perfectly well, which is why she spoke to Seth in such a pleading tone.
Otherwise, she would have given the order forcefully long ago.
"Hmm..."
Just then, Anne heard a sigh behind her.
Why do you want to go to Sunfire City?
"I want to look up some information; I think Lieyang City must have it."
"For your thesis?"
Anne nodded.
Seth thought for a moment and replied:
"If we stay in Lieyang City for less than three days, we should be able to return before the ceremony."
Anne's face lit up with surprise: "You mean, you're willing to take me with you?"
"Who would refuse a beautiful young woman's request? And no one wants to see her sighing and complaining," Seth said with a laugh. "But this journey might be tiring, since we're pressed for time. Can you handle it?"
"certainly!"
Anne wasn't afraid of being tired; as long as she could find out the truth, physical pain was nothing.
"When do we leave?"
"Now!"
Twelve days later, Anne, escorted by the Unswearing Knights, successfully arrived in Sun City.
"Faith Avenue is smoother than I expected, Miss Anne. We've arrived early; perhaps you could stay a couple more days."
But to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, let's stick to the original plan and stay for only three days, okay?
"no problem!"
Annie was already thankful that she could come to Sun City.
It is already winter.
But the city of Lieyang remained warm.
Everyone here was wearing thin clothes, and Anne wanted to find a room to take off her cotton undershirt.
However, she hoped to enter the city's library as soon as possible and read the books inside.
Sun City was larger than Annie had imagined, and its prosperity was even comparable to that of the Holy City.
Its history is indeed longer than that of the Holy City, and this branch of the Justinian family seems to produce outstanding individuals generation after generation.
However, even in such a large city, Anne couldn't find a library.
“The library should be in the castle,” Anne said to Seth. “The library here doesn’t seem to be open to the common people.”
"After all, this is a city ruled by a lord," Seth shrugged. "You know, lords are always selfish."
"Let's go, Miss Anne, let's go visit Lord Justinian."
Seth left his men at the inn and went to the castle alone with Anne.
In the Great Hall, the herald said to Anne and Seth:
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, Lord John of St. City is currently out, and the library has always been a forbidden area for the Justinian family, so I cannot allow you to go and read there."
Annie was a little disappointed.
She felt incredibly unlucky.
I finally made it to the Holy Envoy Duchy and arrived in Lieyang City.
However, the lord here is not here.
Anne didn't know if she would have another chance; she might never be able to solve this mystery. Anne lowered her head in disappointment.
However, at that moment, Anne heard a shout:
"You can go see it!"
Anne raised her head; it was a boy sitting on the throne, who looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old.
He got up from his seat, walked towards Annie, his face redder than Annie's pupils, touched his nose and said:
"Beautiful lady, you may visit my family's library."
Upon hearing this, the herald quickly advised:
"Absolutely not, Young Master Weiweien. Without the adults' permission, no one—"
"I am now the acting city lord here, and what I say goes—"
"But what if the adults knew—"
"If my father is angry, I will explain to him."
The acting lord, named Vevey Justinian, approached Anne.
He took Annie's hand, turned his head to one side, and touched his nose.
"Miss, ignore him, I'll take you there."
Upon hearing this, Annie exchanged a glance with Seth and smiled knowingly.
They both immediately understood what the little guy was thinking.
However, Annie naturally wouldn't expose it:
"Really, Lord Weiwen, thank you so much. I have never met a man as generous as you."
Weiweien immediately said, "You can look at any of the books in the library, or I can help you find something—"
Anne smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Then I'll leave it to you, handsome young master—"
She wasn't lying; the Justinian family did indeed possess handsome features.
Anne was simply stating the facts; how Weiweien interpreted them was none of her business.